The present invention is in the field of telecommunications and has particular application to methods and apparatus for managing call loading to call centers under disaster or other emergency conditions.
Telephone call processing and switching systems are, at the time of the present patent application, relatively sophisticated, computerized systems, and development and introduction of new systems continues. Much information on the nature of such hardware and software is available in a number of publications accessible to the present inventors and to those with skill in the art in general. For this reason, much minute detail of known systems is not reproduced here, as to do so would obscure the facts of the invention.
One document which provides considerable information on intelligent networks is xe2x80x9cITU-T Recommendation Q.1219, Intelligent Network User""s Guide for Capability Set 1xe2x80x9d, dated April, 1994. This document is incorporated herein by reference.
At the time of filing the present patent application there continues to be remarkable growth in telephone-based information systems. Recently emerging examples are telemarketing operations and technical support operations, among many others, which have grown apace with development and marketing of, for example, sophisticated computer equipment. More traditional are systems for serving customers of large insurance companies and the like.
Still more call centers are of the form of public-service centers such as emergency service-centers, rescue centers, large hospitals, public utilities, weather-alert centers, police and fire centers, and so on. It is to these types of call centers that the method and apparatus of the present invention will apply more particularly, although they may also be applied to any CTI call-center.
In a public-service call center, such as at a large hospital or a police department, a relatively large number of service operators may handle telephone communication with callers. Each service operator is typically assigned to a telephone connected to a central switch on the premises, which is in turn connected by one or more trunk lines to a public-switched telephone network (PSTN), as is well-known in the art. The central switch may be one of several types, such as Automatic Call Distributor (ACD), Private Branch Exchange (PBX), and so on.
An organization having one or more call centers for serving the public typically provides one or more telephone numbers to the public that may be used to reach the service. The number or numbers may be published in a telephone book, broadcast on television or radio, or the like. There are basically two situations. If the organization providing the service has a single call center, the number will be to the call center, and all further routing to a service operator will be at the call center. If there are several call centers, the organization may provide several numbers, one for each call center, and the customer may be expected to use the number for the closest center, or for the center advertised to provide specifically the service he or she might need. In other cases there may be a no-charge-to-calling-party number (800, 888) which will connect the caller with a first Service Control Point (SCP) which is adapted request a call routing and to route call to call centers or other destinations.
Routing of calls, then, may be on several levels. Pre-routing may be done at SCPs and further routing may be, and often is accomplished at individual call centers. As described above a call center typically involves a call-switching apparatus, which may also be computer enhanced (CTI) for providing additional functionality.
In a CTI system telephone stations connected to the central switch may be equipped also with computer terminals, so service operators manning such stations may have access to stored data as well as being linked to incoming callers by a telephone connection. Such stations may be interconnected in a network by any one of several known network protocols, with one or more servers also connected to the network one or more of which may also be connected to a processor providing CTI enhancement, also connected to the central switch of the call center. It is this processor that provides the CTI enhancement for the call center.
When a call arrives at a call center, whether or not the call has been pre-processed by a SCP, typically at least the telephone number of the calling line is made available to the receiving switch at the call center by a telephone carrier. This service is available by most PSTNs as Destination Number Information Service (DNIS) or Automatic Number Identification (ANI) data. If the call center is computer-enhanced (CTI) the phone number of the calling party may be used to access additional information from a database at a server on the network that connects the service operators workstations. In this manner information pertinent to a call may be provided to a service operator.
Referring now to an example of a large emergency-service center such as a disaster-relief center, service operators working in such a center will typically handle a large volume of calls during an emergency period from people seeking information on relatives, instructions for evacuation, locations for emergency supplies, places and times for applying for further relief, and so on. Typically, the calls are handled by a finite number of trained service operators, which may be distributed over a decentralized matrix of call centers, or at a single call center. In examples used herein illustrating various aspects of the present invention, the case of a decentralized system of multiple call centers will often be used, although, in various embodiments, the invention will also be applicable to individual call centers. Further the invention will be applicable to the generalized situation of overload between any two switching points in a network.
Even with present levels of CTI there are still problems in operating public-service call-centers, or a system of such call centers, especially in times of emergency. There are waiting queues with which to contend, for example, and long waits may be experienced by some callers during emergency periods wherein call volume is unusually high. Other difficulties accrue, for example, when there are hardware or software degradations, failures, or overloads in one or more parts of a system, perhaps due to natural disaster. Another problem presents itself when authorized personnel such as rescue workers, police officials, fire officials, and the like attempt to connect to needed services only to find the centers overloaded with callers having needs of lesser importance. Still other problems accrue due to known latency in conventional equipment contributing to a high call-volume overload during emergency periods. There are many other problems, and it is well recognized in the art, and by the general public who have accessed such call centers, that there is much room for improvement in the entire concept and operation of emergency call-center systems.
What is clearly needed is a method and apparatus allowing call volume at any switching apparatus or switching or routing center in a network to be managed by diverting calls to an IVR or other service wherein calls may be prioritized and routed by priority. Such a system would be particularly applicable to emergency related service-centers and other related service centers to manage the large volume of incoming calls to their call centers during an emergency period wherein important calls from the public and other authorized personnel may be prioritized, preferably in the network. A system such as this would insure that high priority calls are not delayed because of call overload.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a network-level call load-handling system, comprising a switching apparatus in the network adapted for routing incoming calls; and an interactive voice-response (IVR) selective routing unit connected to the switching apparatus, and adapted for processing selected calls. Selected calls are diverted to the IVR unit for negotiation with the calling party, and diverted calls are forwarded, blocked, delayed, or otherwise selectively processed by specific programmed rules.
In some cases calls are diverted to the IVR for selective processing based upon a call-load threshold applied to load experienced by the switching apparatus. Selective processing may comprise playing one or more pre-recorded messages to the calling party. Also in some embodiments the calling parties on diverted calls are prompted to enter a code, and upon entry of the code the call is processed according to programmed rules associated with the code.
In a preferred embodiment the IVR is programmed to handle incoming calls for one or more subscribing call centers, and calls are diverted to the IVR unit based on pre-programmed call-loading levels for each call center. The embodiments of the invention are not limited to conventional dedicated-connection call networks, but may also be applied to such as data-network telephony networks, which are typical packet networks. Such a DNT-capable network may be the Internet. Also, ion some cases the switching apparatus comprises a plurality of telephony switches or routers, and wherein one IVR serves the plurality of switches or routers.
In another aspect of the invention a call load-handling system is provided, comprising a switching apparatus in a network adapted for receiving and routing incoming calls; an interactive voice-response (IVR) selective routing unit connected to the switching apparatus; and one or more call centers connected by one or more telephony trunks to the switching apparatus. Selected calls destined for the one or more call centers are diverted to the IVR unit for negotiation with the calling party, and diverted calls are forwarded, blocked, delayed, or otherwise selectively processed by specific programmed rules. In some embodiments calls are diverted to the IVR for selective processing based upon call load characteristics experienced by the switching apparatus for calls destined to one or more of the call centers. Different call load thresholds are stored and applied for different call centers. In some instances selective processing comprises playing a pre-recorded message to the calling party. Also in some embodiments callers are prompted to enter a code, and upon entry of the code the call is forwarded to the original destination.
In still another aspect of the invention a method for handling call loading at a network switching apparatus is provided, comprising steps of (a) programming diversion criteria in an alternative interactive voice response (IVR) processor also adapted to route calls; (b) screening calls for diversion criteria, and diverting calls to the IVR when the criteria are met; and (c) processing the diverted calls according to pre-programmed rules. In this embodiment, in step (a) the diversion criteria may include call-loading experienced by the switching apparatus or by a connected call center. In step (c) the rules may include entry of special codes by a caller to establish priority for processing.
In various embodiments of the invention taught below in enabling detail, methods and systems are provided for the first time to automatically handle and alleviate call overloading for any reason in all types of telephony networks.